Name Lists

21/11/2014

Since its founding in 1923, The Walt Disney Company, or simply Disney, has become a global brand. More importantly, it has delighted children (and adults) with its films for generations.

The effect of Disney films on names is well documented. Not only do these hit films filter into our wider media culture, they also become more normalised. Girls who loved watching Sleeping Beauty as a child are more likely to find names like Aurora and Briar perfectly nice choices.

Though there are few parents who actually names their children direcly because of a Disney film, but is is very nice for those children to share their names with a famous character. Little Daisys, for example, are able to get lots of adorable personalised Daisy Duck merchandise.

The names from the list below are named (within the film) and credited in animated Disney films (Walt Disney Animation Studios) from 1937 to the present.It is not a wholly exhaustive list, more a focus on principle (or usable-named) characters.

04/08/2014

Lively lads are what I like to think of as the epitome of the British "cheeky chappy" — a much beloved archetype who embodies the idea of a lovable rogue.

These are the boys with boundless energy, an endearingly winning smile and constant muddy patches on their knees. You would expect to find them climbing trees, kicking a football around, or getting up to something mischievous.

Sound wise, most of these sprightly names are short, often two syllables with strong vowel sounds and crisp consonants

09/07/2014

They fall perfectly inbetween the vintage Edwardian favourites that are so currently in vogue — think Elsie, Ivy, Arthur, Stanley — and the slick modern (for us) imports such as Sienna, Lacey and Flynn.

Unlike either, however, Ripe Renovations manage to hit a sweet spot of having a vintage sound -- and are sufficiently rooted in history as to not be considered "newfangled" — but are actually more popular now then they have ever been before, technically making them feel 'modern' as well.

These sleek, chic sounding, easy-to-spell names are unique antiques: they have an old-style charm without ever having been popular enough to earn the old lady /grandpa label.

With attributes like these, it's no wonder they have either already been discovered or are on the up!

07/01/2014

If the Scandi Familiars were the most familiar and comfortable Scandinavian names to English-speaking ears, Scandi Spectaculars are the complete opposite.

These beauties are seeped in vivid Nordic drama, pageant and heritage, with daring spellings and dramatic syllables. They are as bold and beguiling as they are unfamiliar — outlandish choices, but certainly conversation starters.

As with the previous list, I'm using "Scandi" to refer to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.

04/12/2013

Scandi Familiars encompass all the most familiar Scandinavian names to English-speaking ears, descended either through common cultural history, a modern trend, or because it invokes the image of a famous face.

"Scandinavian" is a highly debated and flexible term. For this site, I use it in its broadest sense, covering Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, [I'm taking cues from my Finnish friends who use the term "Scandi" liberally].

More strictly, perhaps, they are Nordic countries, all sharing a fascinating common culture descended from Northern Germanic tribes who eventually became the Norseman — our infamous Vikings of legend who had a large and lasting influence across Britain.

So, if your looking for a name fit for a Viking that feels familiar and comfortable, look no further.

AndersAntonAriAxelBjörn BoCarlCasperClausErikFinnGöran

GustavHansHendrickIvorJanJannickJensenJohanKaiKnutLarsLeif

MagnusOdinOlafOttoRalphRoaldRolfSigmundStellanThorUlrikViggo

AgnethaAnjaAnnikaAnneliseAstridBrigittaBrittCillaElinElsaErikaFreya

FridaGerdaGretaHeidiHelgaHildaIngaIngridJohannaKaiaKirstenLiv

Lotta MagdaMarnieMillaOlgaSelmaSiriThoraTildaTyraUlrikaViveka

Is your favourite Scandi name not on this list? Fear not, plenty more are on the way.

21/11/2013

The British cult classic, Doctor Who, is turning 50 this weekend. The show was first broadcast at 5.15pm on Saturday 23 November, 1963. It ran for 26 years, across seven Doctors, until it was finally rested before a brief reprisal for a one-off film spin-off featuring an eighth Doctor in 1996. It was fully restored to full glory in 2005 and has been going from strength to strength ever since.

According to the Guinness World Records it is both the longest running and most successful science-fiction series in the world, now watch in 206 different countries worldwide, with an audience of around 80 million.

Doctors

Doctor Who would be nothing without the great actors who have portrayed the man over the years. In order they were as follows:

Companions

The companions have also always been a crucial part of the Who series. They reflect the feelings of the viewer, act as a foil for the Doctor's zainy-ness and (more importantly here) have had some influence over general trends in names. Often the names chosen for the companions were already up-and-coming making them feel modern and contemporary for their own time.

The names of the companions are as follows:

Susan Foreman – Portrayed by Carole Ann Ford, Susan was the Doctor's first companion from 1963-64. Her name was highly appropriate for the time, having been #1 in England and Wales in both 1954 and 1964.

Ian Chesterton

Barbara Wright

Vicki

Steven Taylor

Katarina

Sara Kingdom

Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet

Polly

Ben Jackson

James "Jamie" McCrimmon – 18th century Scotsman James "Jamie" Robert McCrimmon was a companion of the Second Doctor from 1966-69. In 1964, before McCrimmon's screen debut, James was at its lowest point in the 20th century at #19. By 1974 however it had risen again to #7. Jamie itself didn't rank at all in 1964 (or previously) but by 1974 was up at #45.

Victoria Waterfield – Deborah Watlings' Victoria was a companion of the Second Doctor from 1967-68. Though Victoria did not rank at all in the Top 100 of England and Wales in 1964, it was #18 by 1974 after the character's tenure.

Zoe Heriot – Zoe, portrayed by Wendy Padbury, was yet another of the Second Doctor's companions from 1968-69. Previously, in 1964, Zoe had not ranked in the Top 100 at all. By 1974, however (much like Jamie and Victoria), it had rocketed up to #30.

Liz Shaw

Jo Grant

Sarah Jane Smith – Elisabeth Sladen joined the Tardis crew in 1973 alongside the Third Doctor. At the time, Sarah was at an all time peak, ranking #1 in 1974 and 1984.

Harry Sullivan – When Harry (Ian Marter) joined the Fourth Doctor in 1974, Harry was well out of the Top 100. It did not return again until 1994.

Leela

Romana (I & II)

Adric

Nyssa – Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) joined the Fourth and Fifth Doctors from 1981 to 1983. Only two women were registered with the name in England and Wales from 1900 to 1980. Between 1981 and 1983 alone, however, over 50 Nyssas were registered.

Tegan Jovanka

Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown

Melanie "Mel" Bush

Dorothy "Ace"

Grace Holloway

Rose Tyler– Billie Piper's vivacious Rose, dashed onto our screens in the revival of 2005 as the Ninth, and later Tenth, Doctor's assistant up until 2010. In 2004, Rose was #146 in England and Wales. By 2005 it was #123, and broke the Top 100 in 2007 at #95. It currently sits at #78.

Mickey Smith

Captain Jack Harkness

Martha Jones– When Rose Tyler departed, Freema Agyeman's Martha stepped into her shoes from 2007 to 2010 as the Tenth Doctor's companion. In 2006, Martha had just broken the top 100 at #96 and it has been rising since, currently ranking at #77.

Donna Noble

Wilfred Mott

Amelia "Amy" Pond– Karen Gillan joined the show in 2010 as the newly regenerated Eleventh Doctor's fiesty companion Amelia "Amy" Pond. Though she prefers the nickname Amy, The Doctor often calls her Amelia, stating that that "Amelia Pond" sounds like a name out of a fairytale. In 2009, Amelia was #9; a year later it was #5 and has been #1 since 2011.

Rory Williams – Rory, portrayed by Arthur Darvill, is Amy's faithful and adoring husband who also joined the cast in 2010. In 2009, Rory ranked #142; by 2012 it had risen up to #99. Fun fact: Rory's full name is Rory Arthur Williams.

River Song– River is the daughter of Rory and Amy and wife of the the Doctor, stolen from her parents as a baby and all grown up in the form of Alex Kingston. She was named Melody Pond, but thanks to a bit of inter-galactic translation it cognated to River Song. In 2010, River ranked #1218 for girls. It rose to #738 in 2011 and #768 in 2012.

Clara Oswald – Jenna-Louise Coleman (2012) is the new girl in the Tardis as the sparky Clara Oswald. Prior to her onscreen appearance, Clara ranked #212 in 2011 in England and Wales. In 2012, and after her debut, Clara ranked #179; it's highest rank in decades.

31/10/2013

The Gothic revival (otherwise known as Neo-Gothic or Gothic Victorian) was one of the foremost trends of the Victorian era. Their love of medieval, classical and biblical myths and legends — coupled with the romance of the Pre-Raphaelites, gothic literature (Romanticism), great strides in archaelogy and even a fascination with magic and the occult — permeated into all aspects of Victorian life, from architecture to clothing and most certainly names.

Ladies' magazine of the mid-century saw a flurry of heroines bearing names such as Glaphyra, Zemira, Adelgitha and Orinda, and you only need to look at my Finds from... series to find the influence of this gothic trend in lavish names such as Garton Crucifix, Mordaunt Lionel, Wolf Ezekiel, Desolata, Claranda Melvina Georgina and Grecia Horatia.

This list sits in the same vein as the Upright Elegance list, but with a bit more drama, mysticism and evocation of the ancients.

All of the names below were used in the Victorian era as genuine given names (and in more than one instance).

26/09/2013

When I was at University, I was lucky enough to study Ancient History as an undergraduate degree. l found the whole subject absolutely fascinating, but I must admit that I could often get sidetracked from my studies whenever a research paper or book contained a map or list of ancient cities. You see, the name-nerd in me couldn't help revelling in the names of ancient places — I'd frequently roll the lyrical syllables around my tongue and scribbled them down on the corner of my research notes.

A whole heap of ancient place names are not only mellifluous but also aesthetically pleasing, and as, sadly, many are lost to us today or have long-since been renamed, wouldn't it be nice to reclaim a few of them back into nomenclature? If Brooklyn, London and India are in fashion, why not Elaia, Lycia and Illyria? After all, the likes of Lydia, Sebastian, Petra and Alexandria prove positive that ancient place names do make perfectly acceptable and lovely first names.

Listed below is a selection of ancient place names from across the Classical and Hellenic world. Some, you will notice, are already (and were at the time) used as given names; others were Greek or Latin names translations for sites across Asia, Mesopotamia and the Adriatic.